Amazon is Working on a DVR for the Fire TV Called FRANK

According to Bloomberg.com, Amazon is working on a DVR for the Fire TV called FRANK. The DVR space for Cord Cutters is already competitive. Tablo and TiVo both make great DVRs for Cord Cutters.

At this point, “Frank” is only a rumor. There is no confirmation from Amazon that they are working on a DVR called “Frank”.

But if the rumor is true, the battle for your TV entertainment continues to heat up!

Amazon is Working on a DVR for the Fire TV Called Frank

It will be interesting to see how (or if) Amazon implements the Fire TV DVR called Frank. Will this just be a rumor?

In case “Frank” is more than rumor, let’s explore the DVRs built for Cord Cutters.

TiVo

TiVo integrates Live TV, a DVR, and streaming apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu (but not Sling TV) into a single device. That means you can switch between watching Live TV, recorded TV shows on the DVR, and streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu right from your TiVo.

TiVo OnePass lets you create one list for all of your shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.

Use TiVo OnePass to add all of your shows from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu into the “My Shows” list. From the “My Shows” list, you can select shows from your DVR, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. When you select a show from the “My Shows” list, the TiVo opens the show by automatically going to the correct app – Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu. 

Tablo

Tablo is a stand-alone DVR hardware device. You need to have a Roku, Fire TV, or Smart TV to watch shows recorded on the Tablo DVR. The Tablo DVR hardware is controlled by the Tablo app on your Roku, Fire TV, or Smart TV. 

Amazon “Frank”?

“Frank” will likely be a hardware device that connects to the Fire TV through Wi-Fi and is controlled by an app on the Fire TV. This is similar to the Tablo DVR.

Amazon Fire TV streaming devices and Fire TVs are already in millions of homes. So, it makes a lot of sense to make the Amazon DVR a stand-alone hardware device similar to the Tablo DVR. 

Will Amazon Release “Frank”?

Maybe…

Having a physical DVR device is a great way to record and watch Live TV with an Over The Air (OTA) antenna. Plug the OTA antenna into your DVR and you can record and watch local Live TV when it is convenient for you. Plus… it’s FREE TV! Maybe a physical DVR would be good?

But Maybe Not…

“The Cloud” DVR is definitely the future.

Sling TV and Hulu both have pretty good Cloud DVRs. But these “pretty good” Cloud DVRs will work even better as Internet speeds continue to get faster with both fiber and 5G to homes.

Plus, physical DVRs can sometimes be a little troublesome to install and maintain. They can make the Cord Cutting experience a little more difficult and more technical. Which is why many Cord Cutters simply use Hulu to get their local Live TV.

And speaking of local Live TV, streaming services like Hulu, DIRECTV NOW, and YouTube TV are getting more local TV stations every day.

If you have a fast Internet and a Live TV streaming service that has a Cloud DVR with local Live TV like Hulu or DIRECTV NOW, do you still need a physical DVR? Maybe not?

Read More… How-To Watch Live TV 2018.

Time Will Tell…

We will just have to wait and see if Amazon will release “Frank” the DVR. Or if this was perhaps a planned media “leak” to gauge interest in a physical DVR that would connect to the Fire TV platform.

What do you think? Would you buy an Amazon Fire TV DVR? Or would you prefer a Cloud DVR and skip the hassle of a physical DVR?

Source: Bloomberg.com, By Mark Gurman and Spencer Soper, “Amazon Is Planning Live TV Recorder, Challenging TiVo“